Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 493 Recruiting Lulong to Surrender (A Long Chapter of 10,000 Words)
"Fire arrows!"

"Um..."

In late March, amidst shouts of battle echoing across the Hebei Plain, eight thousand Han infantrymen surrounded a fortified city on three sides, launching an attack from all three.

A huge breach had been blasted in the eastern city wall, and Han soldiers were pouring in.

On the horse paths on both sides of the pass, soldiers of the Lulong Army constantly used crossbows, logs, and rolling stones to hinder the Han army, while sharpshooters from the Han army hid in the formation and kept attacking from the front.

Most of their arrows hit their mark, and the Lulong soldiers on the horse path were either shot through the throat or hit in the face, falling directly to the ground.

Even so, the soldiers of Lulong Army were still able to use petroleum and kerosene to attack the Han army that poured into the city.

Even though the Han army was determined, they were still flesh and blood.

Even when scalding hot oil is poured on their bodies, they still let out a shrill scream, which is too painful to watch.

Fortunately, as the Han army continued to pour into the city, the Lulong army on the horse road gradually became overwhelmed.

"I surrender! I surrender! Don't kill me!"

"I surrender too! I didn't join the army voluntarily!"

Those who surrendered threw down their weapons and squatted on the ground; all those who remained standing were considered rebels!

"kill……"

On the horse trail, the newly recruited soldiers of Lulong, who had been conscripted less than a month ago, surrendered one after another. They had not obtained any property through Lulong Town, and there was no need for them to fight to the death like the town's soldiers.

Seeing the Han army's unstoppable advance, they decisively threw down their weapons and surrendered.

After their surrender, the few remaining garrison soldiers in the city were quickly captured or killed by the Han army.

When the Lulong banners on the city tower were lowered and replaced by the Han army banners and the Three Stars Banner, Hejian City, which served as the southern gate of Lulong, was completely in the hands of the Han army.

"spit……"

As the flames of war gradually died down, the captured soldiers began to clean up the battlefield under the supervision of the Han army, while the sound of horses' hooves gradually approached from outside the city.

Wang Jian, riding on horseback, led more than ten generals including Wang Zhi and Liu Jianfeng into the city. When he saw the severed limbs of the Lulong army, Wang Zhi couldn't help but spit.

Wang Jian glanced at him but said nothing, while Liu Jianfeng, standing beside him, smiled obsequiously:

"Commander Wang led us to recover Yingzhou, and it should only take ten days or half a month to recover Mozhou in the north."

"After this battle, Commander Wang should at least be promoted to Military Governor, or even Commander-in-Chief..."

Liu Jianfeng, Ma Yin, and others originally belonged to Qin Zongquan's command. Later, during the Battle of Yique, they defected to Yang Fuguang and then followed Yang Fuguang in fighting against the Han army. In the end, they were defeated and retreated to Wulao Pass.

Later, Yang Fuguang and others surrendered, Liu Jianfeng and his troops were dismissed to become farmers, while these generals were put on hold and, after selection, were made to start over as squad leaders, platoon leaders or ordinary soldiers.

Due to the intense fighting over the past six months, talented individuals have been promoted, including Ma Yin and Liu Jianfeng.

Liu Jianfeng now serves as a special general in the army, making him a pillar of the Han army with a significant position.

After all, the entire Han army only had a mere two hundred generals, and there were only seventy-odd generals of higher rank than him.

"Brother Xing will naturally be promoted!"

Seeing Liu Jianfeng's attitude, Wang Zhi, who had followed Wang Jian in his campaigns since the Central Plains, also spoke up proudly, as if he, not Wang Jian, was the one who had been promoted.

Before Wang Jian could speak, Liu Jianfeng looked around and, seeing curious onlookers peeking from the walls of the alley, suddenly said:

"Captain, it has only been a few months since His Highness recovered the entire Hebei region. If Hebei is recovered, those people in the south are nothing but chickens and dogs. Only Gao Pian is worthy of praise."

"What do you think His Highness is thinking right now? Is it about how to govern Hebei after its recapture, or is he preparing to march south and take over the three towns north of the Yangtze River?"

Liu Jianfeng subtly probed Wang Jian, but Wang Jian dodged the question by saying, "What Your Highness wants is Your Highness's business. We only need to obey military orders."

"Yes, yes, yes..." Liu Jianfeng replied with a forced smile, as if nothing had happened.

But after he brought up the topic, Wang Zhi, who was standing next to him, suddenly said, "If Your Highness recovers Hebei, you should definitely declare yourself emperor, right? That's what I've read in books..."

Before he could finish speaking, Wang Jian suddenly reined in his horse and stopped, his face grave as he rebuked Wang Zhi: "Don't concern yourself with anything outside of military orders!"

"Yes, yes..." Wang Zhi was startled; he had never seen Wang Jian look so serious before.

Wang Jian knew Wang Zhi's temperament, so he looked at Liu Jianfeng, only to see Liu Jianfeng still smiling obsequiously.

Seeing his reaction, Wang Jian scanned the crowd until they all lowered their heads before continuing:
“You are only concerned with fighting. If I continue to hear about these things in the army, don’t blame me for transferring you to remote places.”

"The last general takes command!"

Now is the time to make a contribution. If I am transferred to a remote place and miss these opportunities to make a contribution, it will affect my whole life.

The generals dared not be negligent and nodded in agreement, while Wang Zhi naturally realized that he had said the wrong thing.

For the next half hour, he didn't say a word. He just followed behind Wang Jian, watching him discuss with Liu Jianfeng and the others how to attack Mozhou. Then, when Wang Jian dismissed everyone, he prepared to leave as well.

"Wang Zhi, you stay."

Wang Jian left Wang Zhi behind alone, which made Wang Zhi somewhat uneasy, while the other generals quickened their pace.

"Brother Xing..."

Wang Zhi walked up to Wang Jian somewhat awkwardly, appearing timid and hesitant.

Seeing this, Wang Jian immediately raised his hand and punched him on the shoulder, but he didn't use much force.

"Be careful what you say in the future, and don't let others incite or drive you."

Wang Jian reminded him, and continued when he looked up with a puzzled expression:
"When you and I joined the army, we were so hungry that we had to resort to theft."

"Later, I was fortunate enough to be selected to join the Han army, and I fought my way to my current position."

"The wealth and status that you and I seek are already very close to us. There is no need to create unnecessary trouble, let alone be greedy for quick success and rashly advance."

"Whether His Highness will declare himself emperor is none of our business. The governors and prime ministers haven't even spoken yet, so what right do we have to bring this up?"

“Brother Xing, I…” Wang Zhi tried to explain, but Wang Jian looked up and interrupted him, continuing:
"In this matter of persuading someone to take the throne, someone must step forward before we can choose to follow. Someone must do it first before we can catch up."

"Go back later and send a fast horse to deliver the news of victory to Xinchang. Also, order the three armies to break camp and head north to Mozhou tomorrow, and capture all the counties of Mozhou within five days."

"Yes!" Wang Zhi nodded.

Seeing him like this, Wang Jian patted him on the shoulder: "Alright, go down now."

"Brother Xing, I'm leaving now."

Wang Zhi tentatively spoke, and only after seeing Wang Jian nod did he turn and leave the yamen.

Watching his retreating figure, Wang Jian stood there lost in thought.

After Liu Jilong annihilated 60,000 Hebei allied troops in the Battle of Yecheng, discussions within the army about urging him to become emperor increased.

Moreover, Wang Jian also received many letters testing his attitude, which he managed to deflect.

But it wasn't good to keep making excuses. During the six months that Wang Jian spent receiving literacy education for soldiers in Longyou, he learned two lessons from the manuals they were studying.

One is not to be a stickler for others, and the other is not to be a fence-sitter.

If you don't have enough strength to stand out, there can only be one outcome: death and annihilation.

Being a fence-sitter may seem safe, but in reality, it offends both the left and the right. Afterwards, whether it is the left or the right, once they come to power, they will definitely deal with the opposing faction first, and then deal with the fence-sitter.

There are several factions within the current imperial court: the Helong faction, the Guanzhong faction, and the old officials faction.

The Helong faction consisted of those who initially followed Liu Jilong and those who were once part of the Guiyi Army.

The Guanzhong faction refers to people who surrendered on the battlefields of Guanzhong and Longdong, such as Zhang Wu, An Pohu, and Wang Chongrong. Wang Jian himself was also a member of this faction, but his status was not high.

The old officials were people like Wang Shi, Liu Zhan, and Xiao Gou who had submitted to Liu Jilong because of the Tang court.

Of the three forces, the Helong faction is naturally the strongest. Although the Guanxi faction is also divided into factions, in reality, the Guanxi faction was promoted by the Helong faction.

This is why the Helong faction was in a position of absolute dominance, and only Liu Jilong could suppress them.

Moreover, since many of the generals of the Helong faction joined the army early, they are already old. So if we really want to say who most wants to urge the emperor to ascend the throne, it is undoubtedly the group of people from the Helong faction.

All Wang Jian had to do was wait for the Helong faction to express their stance, and then his followers would follow suit.

By doing this, he would gain credit without taking on significant risks, ensuring a sure profit.

With this in mind, Wang Jian turned around and returned to his seat in the main hall, preparing to plan an attack on the counties of Mozhou.

Meanwhile, news of Liu Jilong's complete annihilation of the 60,000-strong Hebei coalition army in Yecheng continued to spread over time.

From officials to common people in Guanxi and Guandong, everyone knew about the situation in Hebei and that the three towns of Hebei, which had been entrenched in Hebei for over a hundred years, probably wouldn't last much longer.

More and more people are discussing when Liu Jilong will advance further, and even Li Yi in Ziwei City has heard about it.

These discussions gradually made Li Yi uneasy, especially after what happened with Wei Zhaodu. He was now extremely nervous, fearing that Liu Jilong would misunderstand and hold him accountable.

Amidst this collapse, Li Yi took the initiative to summon Xiao Gou, Liu Zhan, Doulu Zhuo, Pei Che, Pi Rixiu, Wei Zhuang, and others.

"I imagine you have all heard about what happened in Hebei, but are you aware of the rumors circulating in the capital?"

Inside the Zhenguan Hall, Li Yi stood behind the dragon table, anxiously questioning six officials, including Xiao Gou.

Faced with Li Yi's concerns, Xiao Gou, holding his scepter, bowed and said, "Your Majesty need not worry; a few rumors cannot shake the King of Han's mind."

“But I…I…” Li Yi didn’t know what to say. He was afraid that he would say something wrong and be overheard by the surrounding eunuchs, who would then report it to Yang Gongqing and Zhang Ying.

Liu Zhan guessed his thoughts, so he reassured him, "If Your Majesty is worried, why not summon Princess Tongchang to the palace and ask her to see what the Prince of Han's attitude is?"

“Okay!” Li Yi had this idea for a while, but he knew that if he said it himself, Zhang Ying and the others would not like it, so he left the topic to Liu Zhan and the others to say.

Now that Liu Zhan and the others have taken the initiative to bring it up, he can naturally go along with it and use the opportunity to his advantage.

After the two finished speaking, Li Yi looked at the eunuch not far away and ordered, "Summon Princess Tongchang to the palace."

"This servant obeys..." The eunuch respectfully replied, but everyone knew the social standing of the palace eunuchs, and no one dared to cause any trouble.

Of the six officials, Doulu Zhuo and Pei Che were particularly silent, and Li Yi had summoned them mainly to test them.

After Wei Zhaodu's incident, he took the initiative to look through the memorials sent by the Southern Office, among which Doulu Zhuo and Pei Che were transferred from Guanzhong at the beginning of the year.

Along with them came many former officials who had remained in Chang'an.

With their transfer to Luoyang, Chang'an had essentially become the territory of Guanzhong officials, while the former officials of the Tang court were all settled in Luoyang.

The changes in Wei Zhaodu and others seem to have begun when Doulu Zhuo and others were transferred to Luoyang.

Although Li Yi was not sure, he still wanted to test the waters and express his opinion in front of the two of them.

Although Li Yi was only sixteen years old, he understood a principle during the two years he served as the crown prince and regent.

Given the current situation, only military power can support a person's backbone, and Li Yi undoubtedly has no military power, not even soldiers to support him.

Even if hundreds of officials in the court support him, what good is it if he has no military power?

The situation at Shodai-ji Temple is still vivid in my mind. Although his father was the emperor and he was the crown prince, so what?
In the end, he was still ordered around by a bunch of spineless eunuchs, like a puppet.

Whether Li Yi was controlled by eunuchs or by Liu Jilong, it made no difference to him.

The eunuchs also restrained him in every way, while Liu Jilong acted as a hands-off manager, letting him do whatever he wanted.

Even though Li Yi knew that Liu Jilong's goal was to make him lose his ambition through frivolous pursuits, he was powerless to resist.

The annual allocation of 300,000 strings of cash from the inner court allowed Li Yi, who did not need to build pavilions and towers, to indulge in many creative schemes.

The Tang Dynasty was already in such a state; he only wanted to enjoy himself before it collapsed. Besides, only his enjoyment could put Liu Jilong at ease.

Seeing himself in this state, these officials would probably no longer push him to try and revive the Tang Dynasty.

Thinking this through, Li Yi, seeing that his goal had been achieved, waved his hand impatiently and said, "Since that's the case, all of you may leave. I need to go to Yuanbi City to play polo later, so I won't stay any longer."

"We take our leave..."

The officials sighed inwardly upon seeing this, but outwardly remained respectful as they withdrew from the hall.

After everyone had completely left Zhenguan Hall, Liu Zhan, Pi Rixiu, Wei Zhuang, and others rushed to the Southern Office to handle government affairs, while Xiao Gou deliberately stayed until the very end.

Like him, Doulu Zhuo and Pei Che, who had previously been taciturn, also slowed down their pace.

The three slowed their pace and eventually stood side by side, their understanding unspoken.

“The King of Han is away fighting wars. What you are doing is giving those warriors an opportunity.”

Xiao Gou lowered his voice and said that from the moment he learned about Wei Zhaodu's matter, he had already set his sights on Doulu Zhuo and Pei Che.

Back when they were in Chang'an, they worked together to pass messages to the imperial court. Even after he became prime minister, he was still responsible for intelligence communication with Chang'an.

This cooperation continued until Liu Jilong's trip to Luoyang ended, and he thought that was the end of it, but he never expected that Doulu Zhuo and Pei Che would continue.

Faced with Xiao Gou's questioning, Doulu Zhuo and Pei Che looked on in astonishment: "What is Prime Minister Xiao talking about?"

The two men's appearances were not feigned, but Xiao Gou was far too familiar with them.

He was certain that the two of them had orchestrated Wei Zhaodu's affair, but he didn't know how many people were behind them.

"Minister Xiao, you might as well put it bluntly. I really don't know what you're talking about."

"So it is for me too..."

The two questioned Xiao Gou, but Xiao Gou dared not be too direct, because if he spoke frankly, it would mean that he knew about it.

Knowing this but not reporting it is tantamount to participating in a treason, which will only lead to Xiao Gou sinking deeper and deeper. This is exactly what Doulu Zhuo and Pei Che are planning.

"Hmph, that's all I have to say. You can decide for yourselves!"

Xiao Gou's face turned pale. He dared not speak out, and could only turn away in a huff.

As they watched him leave, their expressions gradually changed from puzzled to serious. Pei Che looked at Doulu Zhuo: "Will he...?"

"No, although Xiao Gou is loyal and righteous, he is timid and dares not do it himself. He can only watch us do it. But he dares not report such a thing."

"But he's right. Those warriors in Kansai are not easy to deal with. Zhang Ying has been investigating them very closely these past few days, so it's best to keep a low profile for now."

"Yes!" Pei Che nodded in agreement, and then the two quickened their pace and walked out of the palace.

However, their reactions were noticed by the eunuchs who were observing from the shadows, and the eunuchs quickly reported the matter to Yang Gongqing.

Upon hearing this, Yang Gongqing, who was sitting in the side hall, subconsciously looked at Zhang Ying, who was sitting in the main seat.

"General Zhang, how should this matter be handled? Should we arrest them now?"

Yang Gongqing's thinking was simple: take this opportunity to seize those who were detrimental to Liu Jilong, and he would definitely benefit from it.

Zhang Ying, on the other hand, was much more conservative, shaking her head and saying, "To take action now would be tantamount to stirring up trouble."

"Send people to keep an eye on their residences and see who they usually contact, and who those people contact. Make a list of them."

"You may investigate this matter thoroughly. I will send someone to personally inform His Highness of this matter."

“Yes…” Yang Gongqing nodded in agreement. Then Zhang Ying wrote a letter in front of him and sent it to Youzhou.

At the same time, An Pohu led his army to recover the entire territory of Chanzhou. Le Yanzhen, who was the military governor of Weibo, was left with only Weibo and Weibo. The Weibo army dared not leave the city.

On March 27, An Pohu attacked Weizhou and at the same time sent troops to escort the grain transport ships carrying gunpowder and grain northward.

On the second day of the fourth month, fast horses and cargo ships from Luoyang entered Youzhou territory one after another.

Upon learning the news, Liu Jilong immediately dispatched troops to meet the grain transport ships, and tens of thousands of shi of grain and 50,000 jin of gunpowder were transported to the front line.

"Have Zhang Ying keep a close eye on things and make a note of all the people involved. There's no need to take any action for now; we'll deal with them when I return to Chang'an."

Inside the Xinchang County government office, after reading Zhang Ying's handwritten letter, Liu Jilong burned it and then gave instructions to Husi Guang.

Although Husiguang did not know what the letter contained, he could vaguely guess, so he couldn't help but ask.

"Your Highness, these people are still resorting to underhanded tactics at such a critical moment. After this battle, we must implicate and eliminate them all."

Husiguang's idea was actually the same as that of the Helong faction, but Liu Jilong did not intend to take action at this time.

The families of hundreds of former officials in the court were scattered all over the country.

If Liu Jilong were to take action now, the powerful families in the south would certainly resist him with all their might, and the already unstable north would continue to be in turmoil.

That's why he kept the evidence of these people's crimes, waiting until the country was unified and the region was stable before he would finally break off all pretense of civility.

"Screw rustle..."

Suddenly, the sound of armor plates clattering outside the yamen rang out. Ma Yi walked into the yamen and, from a distance of more than ten steps, began to bow: "Your Highness, news of victory in Mozhou! Commandant Wang Jian recovered the entire territory of Mozhou yesterday."

"Hmm." Liu Jilong wasn't surprised that Wang Jian had managed to recapture Ying and Mo prefectures in just half a month. Seeing this, Husiguang immediately bowed to him: "Your Highness, now that Ying and Mo prefectures have been recaptured and gunpowder has arrived, should our army begin its attack on Zhang Gongsu?"

"Of course." Liu Jilong nodded in response, and at the same time stood up and gave the order:

"The imperial edict ordered that Wang Jian station troops in Yingmo to guard against Chengde's northward invasion."

"By imperial decree, Cao Mao is appointed as the commander of the western front of Lulong, and Husi Guang is appointed as the commander of the southern front of Lulong."

"On the fifth day of the fourth month, the army split into two routes to attack Zhang Gongsu from both sides, trapping him in the Yan and Ji regions!"

"In addition, the message was to continue to be spread that if any garrison soldiers surrendered, no land would be confiscated, but the troops must be reduced."

"If Zhang Gongsu sends a fast horse to request reinforcements, Cao Mao must not stop him."

"This subordinate obeys!" Husiguang agreed without hesitation, then turned and left the yamen to begin mobilizing troops to prepare for the northward march.

Two days later, Cao Mao led 20,000 elite cavalry and infantry to attack Lu County from the east of Ji County, while Hu Siguang led 5,000 elite cavalry and Shi Yuanzhong led nearly 10,000 troops from Lulong to attack Wuqing and Huichang.

Liu Jilong led 3,000 elite cavalry to Binhai County and commanded two armies to attack Lulong from west to east and from south to north.

When Zhang Gongsu learned of the news, Huichang had already been besieged and attacked by Husi Guang's army, while Cao Mao's 20,000 elite cavalry and infantry also took the opportunity to advance eastward and besiege Luxian.

“No less than 15,000 elite cavalrymen were seen on the battlefield outside the city, along with several thousand infantrymen and tens of thousands of laborers building fortifications.”

In Luxian County, Zhang Gongsu's face grew increasingly gloomy as he listened to Chen Gongyan's report.

He had a mere 8,000 elite cavalry and 30,000 infantrymen in Luxian, but 10,000 of them were newly recruited soldiers who could only be used to defend the city and not for field battles.

Now that Cao Mao has suddenly arrived with 15,000 elite cavalry, my 8,000 elite cavalry are probably no match for him, and my 20,000 infantrymen will also find it difficult to threaten Cao Mao.

Liu Jilong's move was undoubtedly to use Cao Mao to tie down his main force, and then use Husi Guang as a detachment to take down Huichang and Wuqing.

Once Huichang and Wuqing are captured, Liu Jilong can raise an army of over 30,000 to fight me in a decisive battle.

Thinking of this, Zhang Gongsu calmly asked, "Transfer the veteran soldiers from Liaoxi and Huairou southward, and leave the new soldiers in the city."

"Yes!" Chen Gongyan nodded in agreement, but then took the initiative to say, "General, even so, our army only has a strength of 45,000 men, of which nearly 10,000 are new recruits who cannot fight in the field. We only have 35,000 men available. Isn't that too risky?"

“A risk?” Zhang Gongsu suppressed his temper: “If we don’t fight a decisive battle soon, Liu Jilong will try to recruit many of our garrison troops. We must defeat Liu Jilong’s main force, then head south to defeat his detachment, and only then can we negotiate with Liu Jilong.”

At this moment, Zhang Gongsu was like Li Cui after the Battle of Longxi, both wanting to use victory to negotiate with Liu Jilong.

Li Cui failed, and Zhang Gongsu could only follow in his footsteps.

Lu County is bordered by rivers that are tens of feet wide to the north and south, but only has plains to the east and west where troops can be deployed.

Cao Mao crossed the river and arrayed his troops east of the city, while Zhang Gongsu sent a fast horse across the river northward to deliver military intelligence.

Cao Mao did not obstruct Liu Jilong's military orders, so more than 7,000 soldiers from Liaoxi and Huairou began to move south along the lake. After the cavalry reported to Cao Mao, he sent a fast horse to ask Liu Jilong for instructions.

Liu Jilong was stationed in Binhai, which was only about forty li away from Luxian. That very night, a fast horse brought the news.

Upon learning that Zhang Gongsu had transferred troops from the north to the south, Liu Jilong immediately closed the letter and instructed his subordinate generals:

"Order the three armies to set off at dawn, each carrying five days' worth of rations and a gunpowder pack."

"The last general takes command!"

The left and right generals agreed without hesitation and then began to direct the troops with torches.

When the time came and the sky began to lighten at dawn, Liu Jilong led three thousand elite cavalry northward.

He led his elite cavalry around Luxian and headed straight for Huairou and Liaoxi in the north.

When the soldiers saw him heading north, they all assumed he was going to intercept the seven thousand Lulong soldiers. However, Liu Jilong did not. Instead, he bypassed the seven thousand Lulong soldiers and headed straight north to Huairou and Liaoxi.

"Beep--"

"Enemy attack!!"

"Enemy troops! The enemy is coming!"

Before dusk, when the piercing whistle blew, the idle soldiers in Huairou City rushed to the city wall.

Two quarters of an hour later, when all the soldiers had climbed to the top of the city wall, they saw thousands of cavalrymen lined up outside the city, only three hundred paces away from the city wall, and a tall banner in the middle of the formation.

Under their watchful eyes, the cavalry approached step by step, soon closing to within two hundred paces of the city walls, where winches and crossbows were also positioned.

Upon seeing this, Li Quanzhong, who was stationed in the city, prepared twenty winch crossbows to defend the city. However, he saw more than ten cavalrymen from the Han army rushing over and stopping on the opposite bank of the moat, about thirty paces away from Huairou City.

"By order of His Highness, I have come to persuade the general of Huairou to surrender."

"Your Highness? Liu Jilong?"

"Liu Jilong has brought his troops? Where are they?"

"It should be that one over there, the one under the big banner."

"I can't see clearly..."

Upon learning of Liu Jilong's arrival, the soldiers on the city wall immediately began to chatter about him.

Upon seeing this, Li Quanzhong, the garrison commander, couldn't help but glance at the soldiers around him.

These soldiers had been recruited for less than two months and could hardly be considered soldiers. If Liu Jilong really attacked, he probably wouldn't be a match for him.

Now that Liu Jilong has persuaded me to surrender, he has given me an opportunity.

Thinking of this, Li Quanzhong stepped forward and shouted, "Since the King of Han wants to persuade you to surrender, why don't you come here?"

"Ridiculous! You have dozens of crossbows on the parapet, do you think I can't see them?"

The Han army captain who came to persuade them to surrender started cursing. Seeing this, Li Quanzhong waved to the officers beside him and said, "Move the winch crossbow back five steps."

"Yes!" The colonel nodded in agreement, and then ordered the winch crossbow to be moved back.

After the winch crossbow was withdrawn, Li Quanzhong spoke up: "The winch crossbow has been withdrawn. How about we invite the Prince of Han to come and discuss this in detail?"

"No, fire the crossbow bolts immediately, that's all!"

The Han army captain was experienced; after all, the retraction of the winch crossbow did not mean it had no offensive power, but if an arrow was fired, it would take at least half a cup of tea's time to reload it.

His Highness is wearing two layers of armor; as long as there is no threat of crossbow bolts, the arrows inside the city will have little chance of harming him.

"it is good!"

Li Quanzhong never considered shooting Liu Jilong, because if he really dared to shoot Liu Jilong, the Han army would definitely wipe him out first, which would not benefit him.

"boom--"

Suddenly, twenty winch crossbows were pushed against the parapet, and fired after the angle was adjusted.

They adjusted the direction of the crossbow bolts, so that all twenty bolts were fired at open ground away from the Han army.

Upon seeing this, the Han army captain sent someone back to inform Liu Jilong.

Seeing this, Liu Jilong was not intimidated. At a distance of thirty paces, the winch crossbow could not reach him; only crossbow bolts could hit him.

With his armor, there was no need to worry about ordinary crossbows, so he simply led several dozen cavalry forward.

As he advanced, the new recruits of Lulong on the city wall began to clamor.

"That's Liu Jilong? He is indeed tall."

"Naturally, I've heard that he has the courage to be the first to charge into battle, to kill enemy generals and seize flags. In my twenty-odd years of life, I have never heard of anyone in this world who has such skills."

"I think his greatest strength is in leading troops. I heard that the 100,000-strong army in the three southern towns was completely wiped out."

"I heard it was 150,000?"

"Look! Look! Why does Liu Jilong look like this? Wasn't he supposed to have a blue face and fangs?"

As Liu Jilong approached, even though they were only thirty paces apart, the Lulong soldiers on the city wall could still discern a hint of his prowess from his blurry figure.

"Do you all wish to see Ji Long?!"

Seeing that the Lu Long soldiers on the city wall were discussing him in groups of three or five, Liu Jilong's initial wariness immediately subsided.

"This Liu Jilong is truly audacious; isn't he afraid that I might shoot him with my bow?"

Li Quanzhong spoke with his men and women, then leaned forward and said, "We have heard that the Prince of Han is offering a surrender offer, but we are all only junior officers and colonels. We do not know what the Prince of Han is using to offer a surrender offer?"

"Of course, it's high-ranking official positions and generous salaries!" Liu Jilong replied without hesitation, then smiled and said:
“The court will buy back all the land they hold and transfer them to the capital to serve as officials, promoting them to the third rank. They will have no shortage of wealth and honor, which is much better than living in this harsh and cold place, risking their lives.”

If one could live a prosperous and peaceful life, no one would think of risking their life for blood, not even a general like Li Quanzhong.

"If someone surrenders, what will happen to officers such as colonels and captains?"

Li Quanzhong was already considering surrendering, since Zhang Gongsu hadn't left him any troops, and his personal guards had all been transferred to Luxian.

Without the coercion of the soldiers, things became much easier to discuss.

"He will not be transferred to the capital, but will remain in Lulong as a minor official to recuperate, with his rank promoted by two grades from his original rank!"

The conditions offered by Liu Jilong immediately tempted the officers around Li Quanzhong.

Being promoted to the second rank means at least double the income, without having to live a life of danger or leave one's hometown.

Thinking of this, they all looked at Li Quanzhong. Li Quanzhong looked at the elite Han cavalry outside the city, and then at the new soldiers inside the city who, although wearing armor, were not even good at forming ranks. He nodded and looked outside the city.

"Everyone in the world says that the King of Han keeps his promises, so today I will lead five thousand brothers to surrender!"

"Open the city gates and surrender!" Li Quanzhong ordered his officers, who immediately led their men to open the city gates.

Before long, the city gate opened, and Li Quanzhong rode out of the city gate alone, dismounted and bowed in front of Liu Jilong.

"Li Quanzhong, the commander of Huairou, pays his respects to His Majesty the Prince of Han."

"Please rise." Liu Jilong dismounted and helped Li Quanzhong up, saying:

"Is Li Du familiar with the military commanders in Liaoxi, Yanzhou, Jizhou, and Pingzhou?"

“Very familiar,” Li Quanzhong answered without hesitation. Liu Jilong laughed heartily upon hearing this.
"If I were to ask Li Du to act as an envoy, how confident would you be in successfully persuading him to surrender?"

“This…” Li Quanzhong hesitated, as he had never acted as an advocate before.

Just thinking of the conditions Liu Jilong had promised him, he immediately bowed and said, "If Your Highness can give me the conditions you gave me before, I am 100% confident that I can persuade Liaoxi City to surrender. But as for the counties in Yanzhou, Jizhou and Pingzhou, I am only 50% confident."

"Why only 50%?" Liu Jilong asked him, and he simply explained:

“There are many guards in the three prefectures defending the city. Even if the guards want to surrender, they need to see if the guards agree.”

"Most of these guards come from hereditary military families and know nothing but fighting. If Your Highness allows them to stay, I am 70% confident."

Li Quanzhong spoke hesitantly, but Liu Jilong chuckled and said, "If that's the case, then leave them all behind."

"If we can persuade these prefectures and counties to surrender, I will never forget Li Ya's merit. Not to mention a promotion of three ranks, even four or five ranks would be fine!"

"Your Highness, I will certainly live up to your trust!" Li Quanzhong hurriedly bowed, he hadn't expected Liu Jilong to offer him such a high price.

"Since General Li has made a promise, I believe that the people and soldiers of the three prefectures will surely welcome the king's army with joy."

Liu Jilong offered polite words of comfort to Li Quanzhong before saying, "I will leave this matter to the General. I will return to Luxian first and await good news from the General."

"Your Highness, please take care!" Li Quanzhong bowed to see Liu Jilong off, then mounted his horse and rode into the city.

As Liu Jilong got further and further away from Huairou City, he gradually became more vigilant.

Fortunately, nothing untoward happened; Li Quanzhong didn't resort to any tricks. At this moment, a subordinate general beside Liu Jilong also spoke up:

“Your Highness, the soldiers of Lulong are arrogant and domineering. If we keep them in the army, this place will probably be difficult to govern in the future.”

"It's alright." Liu Jilong calmly returned to the formation and explained to those around him;
"If they rebel in the future, our army will not need to restrain them; we will simply suppress them all."

"The immediate goal is to isolate Zhang Gongsu and then defeat him."

"Once Zhang Gongsu is defeated, the generals and soldiers who participated will be nothing more than grasshoppers in autumn, and they won't be able to jump around for many more days."

"Let's go, retreat to Luxian. Husiguang should have taken Huichang by now."

"Yes!" The left and right generals responded, and then led their troops south to Luxian with Liu Jilong.

During this period, Li Quanzhong wrote many letters, promising the conditions that Liu Jilong had granted him to his acquaintances, including his officers and sergeants.

While making his promise, Liu Jilong took advantage of the night to retreat to Luxian County, arriving at the camp outside Luxian County at midnight.

"Your Highness..."

Cao Mao bowed deeply, while Liu Jilong helped him up and carefully examined the boy who used to cook for him in the house.

"He's gotten quite sturdy."

Liu Jilong reached out and pinched Cao Mao's arms.

Upon seeing Liu Jilong, Cao Mao couldn't help but give an embarrassed, dry laugh: "Your Highness, I'm almost thirty-seven now, and you..."

"No matter how old they are, they are all my brothers." Liu Jilong laughed heartily, then walked up to Geng Huan and the others.

They all stood up straight, heads held high, awaiting Liu Jilong's inspection.

Liu Jilong glanced at them and nodded slightly: "You are all good men from Longyou, and you have not lost to your fathers!"

Upon receiving Liu Jilong's praise, everyone's faces lit up with smiles. Liu Jilong then turned to Cao Mao and recounted how he had previously gone north to persuade Li Quanzhong to surrender and how he had ordered Li Quanzhong to persuade others to surrender.

Cao Mao frowned upon hearing this, but then, remembering that it was Liu Jilong's arrangement, he quickly said, "Since this matter was decided by Your Highness, I believe there must be a reason for it."

Seeing that he had no further instructions, Liu Jilong nodded in satisfaction and then began to explain:
"The important thing is not how many cities and troops Li Quanzhong can persuade to surrender, but to let Zhang Gongsu know that Lulong is not a monolithic entity."

"As long as they distrust each other, we will have achieved our goal."

"Yes!" Cao Mao suddenly realized, while Liu Jilong continued:

"Husiguang should have already taken Huichang, and will soon take Wuqing."

"At that time, the Sanggan River will be in our hands. Once Husiguang leads his troops to Luxian, our army will begin to attack Luxian."

"If the officers and soldiers of the remaining three prefectures of Lulong knew that Zhang Gongsu had been defeated, it would be much easier for our army to recover the three prefectures."

Cao Mao nodded in agreement. Liu Jilong chuckled upon seeing this, then looked at Geng Huan and the others: "You may all step back. I have something to discuss with Young Master Cao."

"This humble general takes his leave..."

Upon seeing this, Geng Huan and more than ten other generals bowed and left the place, while Liu Jilong looked at Cao Mao after they left.

Seeing that his body was a little tense, Liu Jilong patted him on the back: "Relax, there's no need to be like this."

"Yes……"

Although Cao Mao responded, he still did not relax.

Liu Jilong didn't continue to correct him, but simply asked, "Has anyone written to you these days?"

"Yes!" Hearing Liu Jilong's words, Cao Mao felt nervous, but he still nodded and admitted it without hiding anything.

"What did the letter say?" Liu Jilong continued to ask, and Cao Mao could only bite the bullet and answer:
"The brothers in Hebei and Longxi feel that now that Hebei is about to be pacified, Kang Chengxun, Shi Pu, Zeng Yuanyu, Zhu Quanzhong and others in the south are nothing but clowns. It is time to urge His Highness to take a further step."

"What do you think?" Liu Jilong retorted to Cao Mao. Cao Mao felt his mouth go dry, but still answered respectfully:
"In my opinion, Your Highness will always strive for further advancement. As long as Your Highness has this idea, that is enough. Whether it is a few years earlier or a few years later, it does not matter."

Seeing Cao Mao say this, Liu Jilong nodded in agreement: "He will definitely become emperor, but it will only take about two years."

After receiving the answer from Liu Jilong, Cao Mao was immediately relieved, and then felt a hand pat his back.

"Go and rest, you've had a long day."

"Yes……"

Cao Mao was surprised that Liu Jilong let him leave without pursuing the matter. He bowed to Liu Jilong and left.

Watching his departing figure, Liu Jilong said nothing. However, his close attendants, who were not far behind him, quickly approached Liu Jilong after seeing Cao Mao leave.

"Is Your Highness preparing to rest?"

"Okay, let's make the arrangements."

Liu Jilong nodded in response, and only after the footsteps behind him had faded into the distance did he lift his leg and walk towards the camp.

Conquering the world is just the beginning; the real challenge lies in governing it afterward.

How many of his old comrades could resist the temptation and stay steadfastly with him...

(End of this chapter)